In addition to certain guarantees provided by law, LegalZoom guarantees your satisfaction with our services and support. Because our company was created by experienced attorneys, we strive to be the best legal document service on the web. If you are not satisfied with our services, please contact us immediately and we will correct the situation, provide a refund or offer credit that can be used for future LegalZoom orders.

LegalZoom Satisfaction Guarantee Details:

If you're not satisfied, simply call us toll-free at (800) 773-0888 during our normal business hours. All requests made under this guarantee must be made within 60 days of purchase. We will process your request within 5 business days after we've received all of the documents and materials sent to you. Unfortunately, we can't refund or credit any money paid to government entities, such as filing fees or taxes, or to other third parties with a role in processing your order. We also cannot refund any money paid by you directly to third parties, such as payments made by you directly to attorneys affiliated with our legal plans or attorney-assisted products.

If you want to exchange the product you ordered for a different one, you must request this exchange and complete your replacement order within 60 days of purchase. The purchase price of the original item, less any money paid to government entities, such as filing fees or taxes, or to other third parties with a role in processing your order, will be credited to your LegalZoom account. Any payments made directly by you to attorneys affiliated with our legal plans or attorney-assisted products are not eligible for exchange or credit. Any price difference between the original order and the replacement order or, if a replacement order is not completed within 60 days of purchase, the full original purchase price (in each case less any money paid to government entities or other third parties) will be credited to the original form of payment. If you paid for your original order by check, LegalZoom will mail a check for the applicable amount to your billing address.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the results or outcome of your particular procedure. For instance, the government may reject a trademark application for legal reasons beyond the scope of LegalZoom's service. In some cases, a government backlog can lead to long delays before your process is complete. Similarly, LegalZoom does not guarantee the results or outcomes of the services rendered by our legal plan attorneys or attorney-assisted products. Problems like these are beyond our control and are not covered by this guarantee.

Since we're dedicating time and effort to your legal document preparation, our guarantee only covers satisfaction issues caused by LegalZoom - not changes to your situation or your state of mind.

Ghettopoly: Does it infringe on Monopoly's trademark?

Ghettopoly: Does it infringe on Monopoly's trademark?

"Buying stolen properties, pimpin hoes, building crack houses, paying protection fees, and getting car jacked...If you don't have the money that you owe to the loan shark, you might just land yourself in da emergency room." No, these aren't the lyrics to the latest Eminem song. These are just a few of the winning paths in the controversial game "Ghettopoly." This Monopoly spin-off has created controversy and outrage among African American groups nationwide.

In other words, Ghettopoly isn't your mother's Monopoly. The always desirable Boardwalk is now home to Cheap Trick Avenue. Goodbye Reading Railroad, hello Hernando's Chop Shop. Ghettopoly players draw "Hustle" and "Ghetto Stash" cards instead of the familiar Chance and Community Chest. No more "get out of jail free" cards or $100 payments for the birth of twins. A Hustle card might direct:"You're a little short on loot, so you decided to stick up a bank. Collect $75." Getting your whole neighborhood addicted to crack means you get to "Collect $50 from each playa." Abandon that favorite Monopoly racecar or scotty dog game piece. Move around the board instead with a miniature machine gun or marijuana leaf.

Makers of the original Monopoly, Hasbro, are suing Ghettopoly creator, David Chang. Hasbro alleges trademark and copyright violations. Chang says the game is a parody of urban culture. He has also pointed out there are at least 100 other games that end in "opoly." So, is this an infringement of Hasbro's intellectual property? Or is Ghettopoly a parody that falls under fair use and is exempt from copyright infringement?

Parodies and the Fair Use Dilemma

Intellectual property laws cover everything from inventions to computer programs to business models. Monopoly is protected by copyright as part of Hasbro's intellectual property.

The Fair Use Doctrine is a sort of "get out of jail free" card for copyright law and intellectual property. Fair use sets up guidelines for determining which uses of copyrighted works are fair. More specifically, parodies are protected under fair use. Why? Because they borrow from a copyrighted work in order to make fun of it. Fair use tends to be generous with parodies. This means decisions often get made on a case-by-case basis in the courtroom.

So, how does this relate to Monopoly? Ghettopoly's creator is claiming fair use as a parody. What's unclear is whether or not Ghettopoly is a parody or if it's illegally infringing on Monopoly's name.

Ghettopoly - Parody or Illegal Infringement?

This is where the Ghettopoly dilemma gets tricky. Chang says his game is intended to create laughter, not offense, by parodying "urban" stereotypes.

Hasbro alleges Chang used its intellectual property without authorization. According to Hasbro, the Ghettopoly design closely resembles the Monopoly logo, game board and packaging. Like the Monopoly logo, the Ghettopoly logo is red with white trim in a rectangular design.

Chang's game also features a character emerging from the middle "O" with its arms wide open. Ghettopoly's "Mr. Monopoly" logo is a caricature of a black man holding a submachine gun and bottle of malt liquor.

Ghettopoly - Yanked from the Shelves

Urban Outfitters, a national clothing and accessory chain, pulled Ghettopoly after receiving a letter from Hasbro as well as numerous complaints.

But Hasbro isn't the only one that wants the game shelved. Seattle's U.S. Attorney's Office wants to burn or bury more than 62,000 copies of the game. These copies were seized at the Port of Tacoma. Civic leaders across the country, including the Reverend Al Sharpton, have decried Ghettopoly as "racist."

So, how has Ghettopoly creator, David Chang, felt about all this? He's actually suing Hasbro. Chang argues Hasbro struck preemptively. After all, there hasn't been a court ordered decision about the game. Chang is asking the court to order Hasbro to consent to the game's release. Currently, the only place to buy Ghettopoly is through Chang's website.

What's Next?

Parodies of intellectual property are nothing new. In 1994, the Supreme Court made a landmark fair use decision. They concluded that parody was a legitimate defense for the rap group, 2 Live Crew. The band was charged with copyright infringement for their parody of Roy Orbison's 1964 chart topper, "Pretty Woman."

The race around the board between Monopoly's racecar and Ghettopoly's machine gun will most likely end in the courtroom. What remains to be seen is if Chang and his Cheap Trick Avenue will be deemed infringers or originals.

Related Articles

Related Articles

Knowing your bankruptcy property exemptions can help you keep important property, and minimize what you pay to creditors. Learn about the various types of exemptions, which ones you can use, and how they can benefit you in either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

If you’re the head of a new LLC, you’ve got a lot to do – including choosing a title for yourself. You aren’t required to use any particular title, but you do need to make sure that the title you choose is appropriate and doesn’t mislead anyone. Here are some guidelines.

Filing for divorce is never pleasant, but if you have the right assistance or know-how, you'll be prepared to start your divorce. Knowing what to do reduces stress, so it helps to become familiar with basic divorce procedures. This article outlines the steps to start a divorce.

Disclaimer: Communications between you and LegalZoom are protected by our Privacy Policy but not by the attorney-client privilege or as work product. LegalZoom provides access to independent attorneys and self-help services at your specific direction. We are not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. We cannot provide any kind of advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms or strategies. Your access to the website is subject to our Terms of Use.